Clachnacuddin wide-man Allan Macphee enjoying life back in the Highland League ahead of Inverness outfit’s trip to Keith
Allan Macphee believes he is finding his feet in the Highland League again – and the positivity around Clachnacuddin is helping him adjust.
The former Forres Mechanics man spent the last two years in the North Caledonian League with Loch Ness before returning to Clach this summer.
He had a blistering start to life back at Grant Street, scoring three times in the first two league games of the season, but has not found the net since then as Clach settled into the campaign.
Macphee, who led the line for Loch Ness but has been playing in a wider role for the Lilywhites, says he has enjoyed the challenge of stepping up to the Highland League once again, and says it feels like there is real momentum at the club.
“Obviously I took a couple of years out of Highland League football, I just wanted to enjoy playing again, but I’ve really enjoyed this season so far.
“I got myself into really good shape, and pre-season was probably the best I’ve done so we were really sharp coming into the season.
“I was ready to go, which was really good, but it has still been an adjustment.
“I was playing as a striker for Loch Ness, but at Clach I’ve been at either right midfield or left wing-back.
“I played left wing-back for other teams when I was younger so I do know the role. It’s a bit different and a bit more running for me, but I’m still looking to help the team out with goals and assists.
“I wasn’t there last season, but I just feel that since I’ve gone in there the professionalism and standards at training are so high. If your standards aren’t good enough in training, you’re told straight away.
“Everything together – the fans, the club itself as I’ve really enjoyed coming back to the club and the family vibe around it – it’s all just clicking into place at the moment.”
After last weekend’s raft of postponements, Clach are due to return to action away at Keith this weekend.
Keith were one of the opponents Macphee scored against at the start of the campaign, netting a double in a 2-0 win, and he thinks the Lilywhites should be going in expecting a positive result.
“I’m actually surprised more games haven’t been called off so far, but the weather has been pretty decent until now,” Macphee added.
“Most of the pitches I’ve played on so far have been really good quality, and it seems like they get better each year.
“It was a little bit different (to have a Saturday off). You want to keep momentum by playing each week, and we got to the North Cup final and the second round of the Scottish Cup, so compared to other teams we haven’t been used to having a Saturday off.
“Hopefully Keith’s pitch is up to it, because I know there have been storms of late.
“They have picked up points against some of the bigger teams, so I don’t know what to expect from them.
“The first time we played them this season was quite a close affair, and I got a couple of goals in that one myself, but we need to find more of a clinical edge.
“We played really good stuff against Formartine last time we played, so I’m quite confident. We should be expecting to get a good result out of that.”
